1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to treatment preparations containing ether sulfonates as low-foam wetting agents.
2. Description of Related Art
Numerous aqueous treatment preparations for the treatment of solid surfaces, for example fibers, fabrics, metals, ceramics or glass, are highly acidified or alkalized. Commercial-grade treatment preparations of this type, for example bleaches, mercerizing liquors, scouring, cleaning and degreasing agents, descaling agents, etching media, and pickling and derusting agents, require the addition of wetting agents to establish more rapid and intimate contact between the treatment preparation and the solid surface.
Wetting agents suitable for acidic and alkaline commercial-grade treatment preparations of the above type are required to show high solubility in water, even in acidic and alkaline media, and high stability to hydrolysis in those media. Since the above-mentioned treatment processes often involve vigorous mechanical agitation, undesirable foaming easily occurs. Accordingly, suitable wetting agents are required which generate very little foam. If this is not the case, antifoam agents have to be used. However, the use of antifoam agents not only involves additional costs, it often results in undesirable side effects, for example uneven treatment of the surface or the formation of hydrophobic residues on the treated surface.
In addition, commercial-grade wetting agents must be kind to the environment, i.e. are required to have good biodegradability and to be non-toxic to water organisms.